Food shopping

I get asked a lot about what foods I can eat with Crohns and what I can't so I thought I might share my first food shop since being at uni. I am not a vegetarian so my diet includes lots of meat but I do try and avoid too much dairy (although I love cheese) and the only other things I really avoid are leafy greens, fibrous food and tomatoes. My IBD nurse has told me to avoid fibrous food like brown breads and rices which means that my cupboards are usually stocked with lots of starchy white carbs like spaghetti, pasta, rice and noodles. I can't live without chicken soup at the moment. It's great for when I feel like I need to eat but I'm not particularly hungry for anything. I've also bought some honey which I've had last week with Greek yoghurt and it seems to settle my stomach after a meal and reduce bloating. I may try manuka honey as its in the penny sale at Holland and Barrett. This food shop I also tried to buy more fish, this included tuna, haddock, smoked salmon and cod, most of which was reduced which I have put in the freezer to eat when it's needed. I enjoy fish with noodles and some soy sauce which is a simple meal that doesn't put any pressure on my stomach. I always buy eggs for breakfast and white bread to have with peanut butter if I'm in a rush. I have read that smooth peanut butter is good for Crohns as crunchy is hard to digest but they both include the nutrients from nuts. My freezer also contains some frozen veg like broccoli and sweet corn that I can add to any meals. I'm still unsure if they are good for me but I will still eat them! The most essential part of my shopping has to be the bottle of gin! It's just a shame it's value!

Crohns and Weight

When I first started getting the symptoms of Crohns I did what any normal person would do - I went straight online to find out what was wrong with me. As well as diagnosing myself with everything from food poisoning to cancer I kept seeing the word Crohns and something was telling me that was it, that was what was causing all the symptoms I had. The only problem was I wasn't suffering from ALL the main symptoms of Crohns yet, I hadn't lost any weight. In fact I had been slowly gaining weight at Uni and work over the summer and being too tired to do anything but eat and sleep. Honestly I had got a little bit fat and could probably have done with losing a few pounds, but when you are too tired to exercise and being told to try not eating this or eating more of that its hard to keep an eye on things.

When it was time to finally go and see a doctor they asked if I had lost weight and were surprised that I actually hadn't considering how long I had the symptoms for. That was until I started the codeine and managed to lose a stone in a few weeks. 

Sometimes I think its wrong to think this way, but losing that weight has made this much easier, although I still sometimes look a bit unwell I'm happier now with my weight than I have been for a long time. If I had been diagnosed with Crohns and put on a stone it would have been a whole different story, I doubt I would have been up and out of the house as quickly which is why i'm eager not to put the weight back on and make my life a little bit more unpleasant!

There are several reasons why this is going to be difficult

1. I am so tired, all the time. For most people going to the gym can be a bit of an effort at the best of times but when your energy peaks and then suddenly dips and random points in the day its hard to pin point a time for exercise. There are times when I can be out and ready to fall asleep right there and then. Plus I cant afford the gym, rip off! 
2. I am so hungry, all the time. Except those rare exceptions where i'm very full or feeling a little bit sick I could eat all day everyday. I blame the steroids! Its not good for my Crohns to eat so much and its something I definitely need to get control of. I'm also going to try not eating after a certain point at night, it sits on my stomach and makes getting to sleep difficult especially if its something that's irritated me.
3. I am on a controlled diet, (most of the time). For some people food makes no difference to their disease but for others it does. With mine I can see the effect some foods have on how my tummy feels, tomatoes, milk, things with a skin all give me a stomach ache. My diet also calls for low fibre which means starchy white food that are known to be too full of carbs and make you bloated if you don't burn them off. Its a vicious cycle! 

Over the next month or so I'm going to try and get myself into a good routine and maintain the healthy weight that i'm at now. Its going to be a challenge with Uni but worth it. What are your tips for staying a good weight with Crohns?